Westmoreland cops target bikers to curb crash deaths
Published:Wednesday | October 19, 2022 | 12:11 AMAlbert Ferguson/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
WITH 40 road fatalities resulting from motorcycle crashes in Westmoreland since the start of the year, the police have launched a new campaign to get unruly motorcyclists to fall in line and reduce the number of deadly accidents.
Over the past nine and a half months, there have been 40 deaths from the 33 fatal accidents across the parish. Twenty-nine of those crashes included motorcycles.
According to Senior Superintendent Wayne Josephs, head of the Westmoreland Police Division, most of the motorcycle accidents are taking place along Norman Manley Boulevard in the Negril police area, along New Hope and Bay Road in the Little London police area, Truro in the Frome police area, and along the Whitehouse road and the Petersfield road in the Whitehouse and Whithorn police areas, respectively.
Josephs said that effective immediately, motorcyclists will no longer be allowed to carry pillion passengers if they do not have a rider’s licence.
He made the disclosure while making a presentation on the state of crime in the parish at last week’s meeting of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation.
“We have launched a campaign because we see where two persons on motorcycles are causing the most danger to us,” said Josephs.
“We will be seizing those motorcycles, and where persons have motorcycles that they cannot properly account for, we will not only be seizing the motorcycles, we will be charging you for unlawful possession of the property, so be aware, we’ll be coming at you,” Josephs warned.
In stressing the need for the campaign, the senior cop said that motorcycles present the most, clearest and present danger to the citizens in Westmoreland.
“ ... We have been targeting them, especially those motorcycles that are travelling with two persons aboard, and we find that a lot of these motorcycles are not registered,” he told Westmoreland councillors.
“I want to use this opportunity to send out a clear message to motorcyclists out there: If you do not have a rider’s licence and you are travelling with a learner’s licence, you are not allowed to carry passengers on the motorcycle, and we will be coming out at you,” Josephs stated.